Getting to Know Team USA Under-19 Goaltenders

With the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Under-19
World Championship running July 12-21 in Turku, Finland, Lacrosse
Magazine has taken a closer look at the U.S. U19 squad that will
compete for a seventh straight gold medal, beginning Friday with a
game against Australia (noon EST).

To overlook Zach Oliveri would require some effort. The
5-foot-8, 200-pound high-energy righty has a great sense of his own
athletic ability and is the type of goalkeeper that sometimes
grunts when making saves. He's not afraid to talk to himself and is
certainly never hesitant to direct the defense in front of him.

"I've never once seen him hesitate, on anything," said U.S. U19
assistant coach and Loyola Blakefield (Md.) head coach Jack
Crawford. "He commands and controls the defense and makes sure
people are where they need to be. That's what often differentiates
guys who are average goalies from guys who are great goalies."

The Long Island native redshirted his freshman year at UMass and
sat behind redshirt senior Tim McCormick on the Minutemen's goalie
depth chart. But you'll hear more about Oliveri — and from
him — going forward. He's also Team USA's designated DJ,
providing pre-game and travel music for the team.

Fellow Long Islander Kyle
Turri is less active in the goal than Oliveri, but
he's not afraid to make his mark.

"He's a good communicator too, understands the position, and is
very good at tracking the ball," Crawford said of the 6-foot-3,
170-pound Turri. "When he makes saves, he has sound positioning,
although I've also seen him make some spectacular saves."

One of Turri's additional strengths is starting and controlling
clears. He's comfortable with the ball in his stick. In one
instance, during his senior season at West Islip (N.Y.) High, he
went coast-to-coast to score a thrilling overtime winner against
rival Ward Melville in a highlight clip that made YouTube
rounds.

In Turri's freshman season at Duke this spring, he started three
games and saw time in eight, finishing with a 2-1 record.

Oliveri and Turri have split time in each of Team USA's three
exhibition games leading up to the world championships.

A version of this article appears in the June issue of
Lacrosse Magazine,the flagship publication of US
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